[Canadian High School Shooting] Shooter Identified as 18-Year-Old Transgender Woman; Police: Investigating Mental Health Involvement at Time of Attack

A serious school shooting recently occurred in Tumbler Ridge, a small town in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. On February 11, police confirmed that the perpetrator was 18-year-old transgender woman Jessie Van Ruutselaer. She shot and killed her mother and stepbrother at home before heading to the local high school and opening fire, resulting in six deaths, after which she took her own life. The case has resulted in a total of eight fatalities, making it the second deadliest school shooting in Canadian history.

According to police, the suspect first shot and killed her 39-year-old mother Jennifer Strong and her 11-year-old stepbrother at their residence, then proceeded to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, where she killed a 39-year-old female teacher and five students aged 12 to 13. When the police arrived at the school, the suspect had already died by suicide. The police initially announced the number of victims as nine, later correcting it to eight.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in British Columbia indicated that the suspect was assigned male at birth and began transitioning about six years ago, identifying as female. She had dropped out of the school involved approximately four years ago and was not a student at the time of the incident. Police revealed that in the past few years, they had responded multiple times to incidents at her residence involving mental health and firearms, but the motive for the crime remains undetermined.

According to a report by the New York Post, old photographs of the suspect have been revealed for the first time, including one taken on her 14th birthday holding a rifle. The photo is said to have been uploaded by her grandmother to social media with a birthday greeting. Early-year shooting videos of her have also circulated online. Some local teachers described Tumbler Ridge as a "hunting town" where many families are exposed to firearms from a young age.

Notably, the suspect's mother, Jennifer Strong, had previously posted videos on social media publicly opposing hate speech against transgender people. She called on society to “stop spreading hate” and to pay attention to self-harm among young people arising from discrimination. She described herself as having a conservatively liberal stance but emphasized that children should not grow up in an environment full of hostility. Tragically, she ended up losing her life at the hands of her own child, evoking deep sighs.

After the incident, the local community was plunged into grief, with many residents holding candlelight vigils outside the school. Police stated that they will continue to investigate the suspect’s mental health background, the source of the firearms, and whether there were failures in preemptive warnings. The event has once again triggered in-depth discussion in Canadian society on gun control, youth mental health, and online hate culture.